Counter-UAS
Raytheon HELWS vs US Army DE M-SHORAD
The US has pursued vehicle-mounted laser counter-drone defense on two tracks: a light 10 kW-class system and a 50 kW Stryker variant. Comparing them shows the power-aperture trade between deployability today and multi-threat capability tomorrow.
Specification comparison
| Specification | Raytheon HELWS | US Army DE M-SHORAD |
|---|---|---|
| Method | High-energy laser, 10 kW class (public) | 50 kW-class high-energy laser (public) |
| Engagement | Precision burn-through of small drones at short range | Not publicly disclosed |
| Sensors | Integrated EO/IR tracker with radar cueing option | Onboard radar and EO/IR tracking (public) |
| Form | Polaris MRZR-class vehicle mount (public) | Stryker 8x8 vehicle integration |
| Targets | Not publicly disclosed | Group 1-3 drones, RAM threats (public) |
Values are reproduced exactly as recorded in the DroneZone systems database. Where a figure is absent from the public record, it is marked “Not publicly disclosed” rather than estimated.